Wood-chipping apparatus.



H. E. KIDMARSH'. WOOD CHIPPIBJG APPARATUS. APPLICATION msu 1AN.4. 1919.

L295,38 Patented Feb.25,1919.

3 3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Hl .E-l WOOD CHIPPING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED IAN. 4| |919.-

Patented Feb. 25, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

H. E. TIDMARSH.

WOOD CHIPPING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED IANA, I9I9.

1,295,38. Patented Feb. 25, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

di $513 @Hom/muss Lacasse.

narran spaans rarrnrrai onirica0A HARRY E. TIDMARSH, OF BANGOR, MAINE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T0 UNION IRON WORKS, A CORPORATION 0F MAINE.

WOOD-CHIPPING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 25, 19H3?.

Application filed January 4, 1919. Serial No. 269,685.

in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. This invention relates to Wood chipping apparatus; and particularly to that type of such apparatus in which the chipping action is effected by means of a plurality of movable knives carried by a rotating wheel or disk and coperating with a stationary knife mounted on the bed of the apparatus, the

Wood being delivered to cutting position by an inclined feed chute of suitable form.

ln apparatus of that character, itis usual to provide in some Way for an adjustment of the bed knife with respect to the cutting Wheel. which, in turn, ordinarily entails the 'use of an additional device for retaining the knife in adjusted position on the bed; and it is also customary to provide a liner, generally in the nature of a plate, which is secured Within theA chute and fastened against thel interior surface thereof to receive the ivear occurring at the bottom and outer side' Vof the chute.

Such an arrangement, however, is necessarily somewhat complicate-d and correspondingly expensive, owing to the.

number of adjusting devices or their equivalents Which must be employed; and for the same reason, the setting of the bed knife coi'isumes considerable time, While no provision is ordinarily made for an adjustment of the.

liner, whichis usually removed when badly worn.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved device which will serve the dou ble function of holding the bed knife down against the bed in its adjusted position, and of taking up the wear. According to the preferred form of the invention. the device just referred to consists of a solid block of cast steel which tits in an opening formed by cutting away the portion at the foot of the chute directly overlying the adjacent end of the knife, and which rests directly upon the latter, so that the pressure exerted through it will assist materially in overcoming any tendency of the knife to move out of place. This block preferably has associated Wit-h it a' cheek plate which is fastened against the interior surface of the chute,

and b oth said plate and the block have their concave upper faces flush throughout with, and forming continuations of, the said chute surface. These two parts are independently removable from the chute, and the block is capable of adjustment with respect to the adjacent parts to effect its initial positioning, as Well as to enable any subsequent changes-in position which may become necessary. The bed knife is held reliably in positionl by the pressure exerted upon it through this block, and also by specialclamping devices provided for that purpose, and the parts are so constructed as to permit of adjusting 4the position of the bed knife initially and moving it from time to time to compensate fo'r Wear.

The'invention also resides in the construc-` tion and mounting of the adjusting devices just'mentioned. and it. further coinprehends vthe provision-of various other improved ad-A justing devices, notably those associated with the shaft ivhereon the rotary knife carrier ismounted, to adjust and center the said shaft and carrier, and to takel up end thrust on the shaft. Other and further improvements will be setfort-h and explained asthe description of the invention proceeds. An Vembodiment of the invention which may be considered for all present purposes as preferred, is disclosed in the accompanying drawings; but it is to be understood that no limitation to the specific details of such disclosure is contemplated, excepting as may necessarily be'imposed by the terms of theA appended claims. On the contrary, modifications and changes may well be made within the scope of said claims, and parts and features of the invent-ion may be utilized .vithout others, and in other and different environments.

In thesaid drawings:

Figure l is a front elevation of the improved apparatus;

Fig. 9. is a plan View thereof;

Fig. 3 is a transverse Vertical section on line 3--3, Fig. l; y

Fig. l is an enlarged vertical section on line '1L-4, Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a transverse verticalv sect-ion, on the same scale as Fig. 4, taken on line .5f-5,

Fig. i;

f construction, and'supported upon a suitable foundation 5, which provides a p it 6 to receive the chips, the walls of the pitsubstantially alining with t-he Walls of the bed opening. i

BothA the fixed and the movable cutting devices are'mounted o-n the bed; and the latter device may, as represented, comprise a `set of knives 7, adjustably fitted in seats 8 provided therefor in a movable lcarrier 9, here shown as in the form of a rotary wheel or disk which is keyed to a centrally-disposed, transverse shaft 10, journaled at yits ends 1n bearings 11 yand 12 arranged uponv the side members of the bed. 'lhls const-rnc tion, broadly speaking, is the oneusually employed .in chipping apparatus. Any desired number-of knives may be utilized, and they maybe mounted and positioned in any manner deemedvadvisable; andl thel carrier wheel 9 may have'any preferred dimensions and any appropriate structure, none of the features thus far described forming in themselves `any part ofthe act-ual invention. T he wheel shaft 10 carries a driving pulley 13,

`and-both this pulley and the'aforesaid wheel 9 project into the pit 6.

Means are provided in connection with the bearings 11 and 12 for eecting an end- ,wise'adjustmentof the'wheel shaft 10,v so

as to position the wheel and its knives 7 relatively to the fixed cutting device 2, and to; retain' said wheel in such position, while at the samel time takin@ up end thrust of l the shaft'.I According to? the preferred form of the invention, the front bearing box 11,

which rests upon the upper face of the front member of the bed, has its lower' face recessed as at 14, such recess opening through the outer face of the bearing and having its top wall provided with a seat 15 to receive the projecting upper portion of a bronze nut 1G that is .disposed within the recess 1e, as shown in Figs. 3 and l. rlhis nut is mounted on the threaded rear portion of a bolt 17, the front portion of which is rotatably fitted in a bearing opening formed through the upper end of a bracket 18 which is bolted to the bed, endwise movement of said bolt being prevented by means of collars 19 disposed at opposite sides of said opening, or in any other desired manner. The box itself is provided with internal annular grooves S20 to receive the transversely-disposed,.cir-

vment between the ribs and grooves.

cumferential ribs 21 formed on the shaft end (see Fig. 3) g from which it follows that when the adjusting bolt 17 is turned, the shaft, and with it the bearing box, will be slid endwise in one direction or the other, relatively to the chute 4, due to the engage- The bearing is preferably of the self-lubricating type, and after having been brought to adjusted position in the manner above described, may be fastened in such position by means of a pair of bolts 22, the heads of which are anchored in the bed.

The rear bearing 12, as 'indicated inFig. j

3, is likewise self-lubricating, and is provided at its' outer end with an adjusting screw or bolt 23, the inner end of which is adapted to engage a bronze step or cap :2a and to force the same against the adjacent end of the wheel shaft. Hence, after the initial adjustment o-f said shaft has been effected by means of the screw 17, the screw 23 is then tightened against the step 2st which, in turn, presses against the shaft and completely prevents any endwise movement thereof, said screw 23 being rotatably fitted inl an` opening provided for it in the outer end of t-he bearing and being retained in adjusted position by suitable nuts 25. The bearing as a whole may be secured to the bed in adjusted position by bolts 56, in much the same way as the front bearing 11 is fastened in place by the bolts rllhe fixed cutting device 2 and the parts directly associated with it, embody the most important\features of the invention, as has already been stated, and will now be described. The said cutting device is in the form of a comparatively thick, flat plate or knife, which rests on the upper face of the front member of the bed directly7 beneath the foot of the feed chute.4 The latter, which is inclinedto the extent required to feed the wood by gravity to the cutting devices in the proper position to be cut thereby, and which may have any desired crosssectional shape, is likewise mounted on said front member and is provided at its sides with lateral webs :26, the flanged bases 27 of which are bolted to the bed. These webs 26 are formed with rearward extensions 28, which are connected, in turn, by a transverse web 29 depending from the bottom of the chute, all as represented. in Figs. 5 and 6.

The knife :2 is slidab-ly fitted between the two side webs 28, the inner faces of which may be undercut at their lower ends as indicatedw at 30 in Fig. 4, to receive the side edges of the knife, while the cross-web 29 terminates sufficiently far above the bed member to permit the knife to be inserted beneath it, as will be understood. The knife is provided with front and rear pairs of .short longitudinal slots 31 and 32, for

a purpose presently explained, and with an intermediate transverse slot 33. The lastmentioned slot is designed to receive. the projecting lower portion of a. bronze nut 3l, which is mounted on an adjusting screw 35; the latter extending loosely through an apertured iron block 36 and being provided with a central collar 37 fitting in an openingor seat formed in said block, whereby it is permitted to rotate freely but is held against endwise movement. Block 36 is fastened to the bed 1 by means of two bolts 38, whose heads are anchored therein and whose stems project upward through the slots 31 and through registering vertical openings in said block; and by virtue of this arrangement rotation of screw 35 will produce. an inward or outward movement of the knife across the bed and between the latter and the block.'

The cross-web 29 is cut away at its center to provide a recess 39, which receives the follower nut 34C and prevents it from turning and working out of its slot 33 in the knife.

. The portion of the chute which roofs the space comprised between the cross-web 29 and the parts of the side webs 2S directly in rear thereof is removed, thereby providing an open space directly overlying the inner portion of the knife. In place of the part thus removed, there is employed a solid steel block or casting 40, shown in detailin Fig. 8, which fits conformably in, and completely fills, such space, and which has its upper face flush throughout with theinterior Vsurface of the chutev and constitutes a virtual continuation of said surface. This block 40 rests directly upon the upper face of the bed knife 2, and, by reason of its weight and the pressure exerted through it by the overlying piece of wood, it assists materially in overcoming any tendency of said knife to become displaced from its adjusted position, the block itself being prevented from moving upward lby means of a pair of co-acting shoulders 41 with which -the abutting faces of the block and the crossweb 29 are rovided. The end face of the said block 1s also formed with a central opening 42, and with a pair of threaded boltholes 43 at opposite sides thereof, the opening 42 registering with, but being slightly smaller than, the web opening 39, so as to receive the end of the adjusting screw 35, and to limit the movement Of the nut 34 in that direction. in them the ends of a pair of parallel adjusting screws 4l, which are located at opposite sides of the anchor block 36 and pass loosely through openings f5 formed in the cross-web, said screws being furnished with stop collars -16 to engage the outer face of the cross-web. y

It follows, therefore, that by turning the screws -ll in the proper direction, the block 40 can be drawn back firmly to its seat against the cross-web 29 with the shoulders The holes 43 have fitted 41 in engagement, and held removably in that position. B v th1s arrangement. the

block 40 takes the place of the usual wear which fits in a seat or recess provided for it in the interior surface of the chute directly at the side of the wear block and is fastened therein by detachable bolts 4S; this cheek plate has its upper face flush with that of the block, as'well as with the interior surface of the chute.

The bed knife, when worn at oney end, may be removed and reversed to bring its other end into use, for which purpose the slot 33 is disposed exactly centrally of the plate, while the pairs of slots 31 andl 32 are positioned syn'nnetrically with respect thereto, so that the bolts 38 may be passed interchangeably through either pair of slots, ac-

coi-ding as one end'or the other of the knife is being used. i

I claim as my invention:

l. rlhe combination of a bed, a movable cutter, means for driving the cutter, a knife mounted on the bed for co-action with the cutter, an inclined feed chute secured to the bed above the knife and having its base portion removed, and a block removably fitting in the opening thereby produced and having its upper face flush throughout with, and forming a continuation of, the interior surface of the chute, said block resting directly upon the knife to hold it in place on the bed; substantially as described.

2.4 The combination of a bed, a movable cutter, means for driving the cutter, a knife for co-action with the cutter adjustably fitted upon the upper face of the bed, an inclined feed chute secured to the bed above the knife and having the portion of its base which directly overlies the knife removed to provide an opening at such point, and a solid block removably fitting in said opening and having its upper face flush throughout with, and forming a continuation of, the interior surface of the chute, said block resting directlyupon the knife to hold it in adjusted position. and means for positioning the block; substantially as described.

3. The combination of a bed, a movable cutter, means for driving the cutter, a knife mounted on the bed in position to co-act with the cutter, an inclined feed chute secured to the bed above the knife and having the portion of its base which directly overlies the knife removed to provide an opening at such point, a block removably fitting in said opening and resting directlyv upon the knife to hold it in place on the bed, and a cheek plate fittinga in a seat formed in the interior surface of said chute at the side of the block, said cheek plate and said block having their upper faces flush with each other and With the said chute surface; substantially as described.

4. The combination of a bed, a movable cutter, means for driving the cutter, a knife mounted on the bed in position to co-aet AWith the cutter, an inclined feed chute secured to the bed above the knife, said chute having the portion of its base which directly overlies the knife removed to provide an opening' at such point, and also having a depending web at the rear of said opening, a block for holding the knife in place removably fitting in said opening and havinggj its upper face Hush throughout with the -interior surface of the chute, and means eX- tending through said web and engaging the block to hold the block in said opening' with its rear Wall against the surface of said web;

substantially as described.

5. The combination of a bed, a movable cutter, means for driving' the cutter, a knife mounted on the bed in position to co-act with l cutter thereon, means for driving the cutter,

Lacasse a knife mounted on the bed in position to coact with the cutter, an inclined feed chute secured to the bed above the knife, a stationary cheek plate fastened in the chute at the foot thereof, and a movable block resting directly upon the knife to hold it in position on the bed, said block having its upper face flush with the interior surface of the chute; substantially as described.

7. The combination of a bed, a movable cutter thereon, means for driving the cutter, a knife mounted on the bed in position tocoact with the cutter, an inclined feed chute secured to the bed above the knife` a stationary cheek pla-te fastened in the chute at the foot thereof, a movable block resting directly upon the knife to hold it in place on the bed, the cheek plate and the block having their upper faces Hush with each other and with the interior surface of the chute, and separate devices associated with the block and the knife for effecting independent positioning movements thereof; substantially as described.

8. The combination of a bed, a movable cutter thereon, means for driving the cutter, a knife mounted on the bed in position to co act with the cutter, an inclined feed chute secured to the 4bed above the knife, and Wearresisting means located at the foot of the chute and comprising a part Which rests directly upon the knife to hold it in position and a second part with relation to which and to the knife the first-named part is capable of movement; substantially as described. y

In testimony whereof affix my signature.

H REY E. TIDMARSH. 

